Worldwide Satellite Magazine — October 2017 SatMagazine

Focus on Africa Smallsat Futures Antenna Array The Forrester Report The Coming of Age of Smallsats “Go for Launch!” NEPTUNE-1 Test Launch Prep InfoBeam

The launch of Japan’s Michibiki No. 3 satellite by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Publishing Operations Senior Contributors Authors Silvano Payne, Publisher + Senior Writer Tony Bardo, Hughes Randa Milliron Hartley G. Lesser, Editorial Director Simon Davies, Spectre David Mitchell Pattie Waldt, Executive Editor Richard Dutchik, Dutchik Comm. Jim Plouffle Jill Durfee, Sales Director, Associate Editor Chris Forrester, Broadgate Publications John Quinn Simon Payne, Development Director Karl Fuchs, iDirect Government Services Dimitri Shubin Donald McGee, Production Manager Bob Gough, Carrick Communications Maureen Rhemann Dan Makinster, Technical Advisor Ryan Schradin, SES GS Koen Willems, Newtec

Table of Contents InfoBeam

Michibiki No.3 Launched by Japan...... 4 Michibiki No. 3 Launched by Japan Australia Moves to Establish a National Space Agency...... 6 After a week’s delay, Japan successfully launched the Rocket Lab, SpireArianespace and Planet Flight AddVA238 Excitement liftoff. Photo isto courtesy Test Flight of Arianespace...... 8 third of the nation’s new quasi-zenith satellites on August Thales Alenia Space Has a SMILE for the ESA...... 10 SITAEL Signs on Australian Firm Inovor for Smallsats...... 11 19, 2017. Carried to the Cape: EchoStar-105/SES-11 Satellite...... 12 ViaSat and Boeing Start Work on Two ViaSat-3 Satellites...... 14 This satellite is one of an entire constellation being placed into Phasor and OmniAccess Signs ESA Agreement...... 16 orbit to improve the accuracy of available global positioning data. SpacePath Has Tango Wave Tech...... 16 The launch, overseen by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Australia’s Big Deal with SSTL’s Small NovaSAR-S...... 18 (JAXA), came a week later than scheduled after the rocket that Focus On Africa: A Conversation With Sean McCormick...... 22 was to carry the satellite developed technical issues, causing the Smallsat Futures, by Maureen Rhemann...... 26 originally planned launch to be aborted. The new satellite system Replacing a Dish Antenna With an Antenna Array,...... 28 will improve positioning data for a range of applications, including by Dmitrii Shubin for smartphones and vehicle navigation systems, and will improve The Forrester Report: Bedazzled by Bezels and Pixels,...... 30 emergency service personnel’s ability to locate people in disasters. by Chris Forrester The Coming of Age of Smallsats...... 34 JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. launched the Michibiki “Go for Launch!” Spotlight on EXOS Aerospace Systems...... 38 No. 3 satellite, which is the third in a planned constellation of by David Mitchell and John Quinn four GPS satellites, on an H-2A rocket from the Tanegashima Interorbital Preps for NEPTUNE-1 Test Launch,...... 40 by Randa Milliron Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The planned launch on August 12 was postponed due to concerns over a possible helium leak. The gas is used to move valves in the Advertiser Index first-stage rocket’s engine, according to the constructor Mitsubishi Heavy. The problem was resolved through the replacement of a Advantech Wireless...... 5 related component, the company said. APT Satellite Company Ltd. — Apstar...... 11 Arabsat Satellite...... 9 The newly launched satellite AvL Technologies...... 13 will work with the first and Ball Aerospace...... cover second Michibiki satellites and Communic Indonesia 2017 — Singapore Exhibition Services...... 21 complement the existing U.S. CPI Satcom Products...... 7 satellite network that Japan Digital Ship — Athens...... 33 and many other countries depend on. Once in its final MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd...... 19 position, this third satellite will NAB - National Association of Broadcasters...... 43 slot into a geostationary orbit Pacific Telecommunications Council — PTC...... 17 — the Japanese government RUAG Space...... 15 is scheduled to launch the final Satnews Publishers...... 2 + 3 satellite for their constellation Satnews Daily News Infosite...... 29 in October. Space Tech Expo Europe (Smartershows Ltd.)...... 25 SSPI - Future Leaders Dinner - New York (November)...... 37 TV Connect MENA...... 31 SatMagazine is published 11 times a year by Satnews Publishers, 800 Siesta Way, Sonoma, CA, 95476, USA Phone: (707) 939-9306 / Fax: (707) 939-9235 © 2017 Satnews Publishers We reserve the right to edit all submitted materials to meet publication content guidelines, as well as for grammar and spelling errors, or to move articles to an alternative issue to accommodate publication space requirements, or remove content due to space restrictions. Submission of content does not constitute acceptance of said material by Satnews Publishers. Edited materials may, or may not, be returned to author and/or company for review prior to publication. The views expressed in Satnews Publishers’ various publications do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Satnews Publishers. All rights reserved. All included imagery is courtesy of, and copyright to, the respective companies and/or named individuals.

4 SatMagazine — October 2017

InfoBeam Australia Moves to Establish a National Space Agency

The heads of the world’s major space agencies have praised Australia’s decision to finally establish a national agency of their own.

The Australian Government used the opening of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Adelaide, South Australia, to announce a national space agency would be established by the nation.

This announcement follows months of lobbying by the Space Industry Association of Australia and the South Australian Government. Heads of space agencies, from left, NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot, Russian Federal Space Agency Details of how the agency will be set Head (Roscosmos) Igor Komarov, European Space Agency Director General Jan Woerner, China National Space Administration (CNSA) Secretary General Tian Yulong and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) President up are yet to be announced. Naoki Okumura at the International Astronautical Congress in South Australia.

The IAC congress was attended by the heads of the world’s largest world. At the beginning of the ‘60s, for this country to invest in space I space agencies, all of whom praised Australia was an associate member think would be a good first step.” Australia’s decision. of the European Launch and Development Organisation (ELDO), Until now, Australia was one of the NASA Acting Administrator Robert so we are really happy we can only OECD countries without a Lightfoot stated that the new continue our strong cooperation.” national space agency. agency would provide an excellent opportunity to increase the Japan Aerospace Exploration More than 4,200 delegates were collaboration with Australia. “From Agency (JAXA) President Naoki registered for the congress, the a NASA perspective, we’ve had a Okumura said his agency was world’s biggest space meeting great partnership with Australia for already working with Australia on of the year, making it the largest a long time and I look forward to Earth Observation satellite activities, conference ever staged in South seeing which areas Australia decides but the new agency would lead to Australia and an ideal opportunity to to focus on,” he said. “I think that even closer ties. “In the future, we show off the $397 million Adelaide will be their challenge but there’s would like to work more closely with Convention Centre redevelopment. enough room for them to participate Australia in order to become an in what we’re doing. It’s a global innovation center and strengthen endeavor — we’re all here for that our relationship,” he said. reason — and I think Australia not being a part of that (until now) is a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) little bit strange.” President Sylvain Laporte said establishing a national space European Space Agency Director program was not without its General Jan Woerner said having a challenges. “There’s a ton of national agency provided a good opportunities and things you can do,

access point for space interactions but there’s always limited resources,” Photo is courtesy of the Adelaide Convention Center. with other nations. “We welcome he said. “Putting in place a sound this very much,” he said. “There governance system that will allow Space Industry Association of Australia are two aspects to this: One is the the space agency to make the right Chair Michael Davis said the SIAA national development and capacity decisions, to prioritize what it should was thrilled with the announcement building so you have a voice in do and to make sure it can make the and expected the agency would be your own country but at the same best pitch possible to politicians to a collaboration between government time you have a voice to the outer secure as much funding as is required and industry.

6 SatMagazine — October 2017 “What a start to this congress,” he said. “The aim is to deliver clear economic benefit to the Australian economy and of course, to re-enforce our status as a participant of long-standing in the development of outer space. We will soon take our place at the table of space agencies as major initiatives and cooperative projects are considered and developed. We have the capacity, the science, the skills, the research and development environment, the culture, the industry nous. Now we have the standing of the Australian Space Agency.”

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said the week presented an opportunity for the state to send a bold message to the world. “We are ready to put ourselves in the service of this nation by becoming a key part of a national space agency,” he told the congress. “We are also sending a clear message to the world that we want to work with you — as our state logo suggests — as an open door to opportunity.”

The SIAA launched a White Paper in March calling on the Australian Government to establish a national space agency.

Last month Weatherill and ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together towards the creation of a Canberra-based space agency with a prominent presence in Adelaide.

The State Government has also announced a space industry center was being established in Adelaide as part and increased Defence Industries Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith’s portfolio will include space.

This report was authored by Andrew Spence, The Lead South Australia (theleadsouthaustralia.com.au).

SatMagazine — October 2017 7 InfoBeam Rocket Lab, Spire and Planet Add Excitement to Upcoming Second Test Flight

From two different continents Peter Platzer, CEO of Spire added these companies will combine that the ability to iterate quickly their expertise—one with their and execute on an incredibly high rocket and the others with level is core to the success of both their satellites. Rocket Lab and Spire. ‘Still Testing’ is a culmination of that work into Rocket Lab has announced the a single event, and they’re proud company will fly payloads for Planet to be onboard for this inaugural and Spire aboard its upcoming deployment attempt. second test flight, ‘Still Testing,’ from Launch Complex 1 on the Spire, the world’s first commercial Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand. weather satellite constellation, adds two satellites to an existing Rocket Lab’s Electron orbital constellation of Lemur-2 satellites launch vehicle will carry two Earth- that covers every location on Earth imaging Dove satellites for Planet over 100 times per day. and two Lemur-2 satellites from The data these companies gather Spire for weather mapping and has an increasingly significant role The multi-sensor satellites gather ship traffic tracking. to play in how they understand the global atmospheric measurements planet and better manage it. for advanced weather warnings and The flight is the second of three in predictions and track global ship Rocket Lab’s Electron test program Mike Safyan, Senior Director of traffic for multiple commercial and and follows the successful inaugural Launch at Planet, said that their government applications. Electron test flight that was carried companies have long shared out on May 25, 2017. an ethos of dreaming big and The Electron vehicle for the ‘Still executing on that vision, so it’s Testing’ flight is expected to be Peter Beck, Founder and CEO of only fitting that Planet is among trucked to Rocket Lab’s Launch Rocket Lab, said that carrying a the first payloads to fly on a Rocket Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula, test payload marks a significant Lab Electron. The Electron will be New Zealand, in October of 2017 milestone for the Electron program, a game changer in a traditionally with a launch window to open in the enabling Rocket Lab to gather difficult launch market. They are following weeks once the vehicle crucial data and test systems for the excited to quite literally be riding checks have been completed. deployment stage of a mission. the leading edge with Rocket Lab. rocketlabusa.com/ He added that Rocket Lab is thrilled Planet’s largest-ever network of with Electron’s performance in the 190 satellites collects more imagery www.planet.com/ first test flight and now they’re daily than any other commercial eager to test the next crucial step — provider, creating a completely new spire.com/ payload deployment. information feed about the world.

No major changes to the launch With this comprehensive and vehicle hardware have been empirical dataset, Planet uses required and the focus is on the machine learning-driven analytics to six Electron vehicles currently in create unique insights that deliver production. While they’re still very crucial market intelligence for much operating in a test phase and businesses, governments, can likely expect a few scrubs during and NGOs. the second test flight attempt, they’re incredibly excited about carrying Planet and Spire payloads on Electron.

8 SatMagazine — October 2017

InfoBeam Thales Alenia Space Has a SMILE for the ESA

Thales Alenia Space has recently During the study phase, Thales This world class facility, due to open been awarded one of three Alenia Space in the UK will work in 2020, has been awarded funding competitive studies funded by the with the ESA team to define and by the UK Government’s flagship European Space Agency (ESA) to optimize the Payload Module, Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund lead the design definition of the including the structural and to boost the UK’s space capabilities Payload Module (PLM) for SMILE thermal solution, definition of for the design and build of more (Solar Wind Magnetospheric the supporting PLM equipment, complex space instruments and Ionospheric Link Explorer). accommodation of the four science technologically advanced satellites. instruments and the delivery of all SMILE is a joint science mission science data to the ground. Ben Olivier, the CEO of Thales between ESA and the Chinese Alenia Space in the UK, noted that Academy of Sciences, which aims With a planned launch in 2021 the company is proud to team with to investigate the interaction from French Guiana, the two ton ESA experts and to contribute to between Earth’s protective shield satellite will enter a Highly Elliptic the SMILE mission, which expects to — the magnetosphere — and the Orbit (HEO) with an apogee of make an important contribution to supersonic solar wind. The SMILE around 120,000 km over the our understanding of space weather satellite consists of a platform, Earth’s North Pole. Following a and, in particular, the physical provided by the Chinese Academy competitive evaluation prior to PDR processes taking place during the of Sciences, and a fully independent (Preliminary Design Review), one of continuous interaction between the Payload Module, provided by ESA. the competing designs will be down- solar wind and the magnetosphere. selected for the SMILE mission. The PLM hosts the four customer Olivier added that this contract furnished science instruments* from If successful, Thales Alenia Space in reflects Thales Alenia Space’s Canada, the UK and China, the PLM the UK will procure the equipment, strategy of growing its European Control and Mass Memory Unit, the assemble, integrate and test the footprint and is fully in line with PLM Power Distribution Unit and the Payload Module in the UK’s future market trends and growth dynamics. X-band communication system used National Satellite Testing Facility. For Thales Alenia Space, this to downlink all science data. is a significant milestone in the recognition of the company’s capability as a Prime contractor in the UK for major space missions.

The SMILE design definition phase is Thales Alenia Space’s first opportunity to work directly, as a Prime contractor in the UK, with the engineering teams of the ESA Science Directorate and also demonstrates the confidence and trust placed in Thales Alenia Space in the UK and its teams of highly skilled engineers.

www.thalesgroup.com/en/global/ activities/space

www.esa.int/

*The four SMILE instruments are Artistic rendition of a solar mass ejection reaching Earth. Image is courtesy of ESA. CFI provided by ESA Member or Participating States (Ultra Violet Imager (UVI) and Soft X-ray Imager (SXI)), and CAS (Magnetometer (MAG) and Light Ion Analyser (LIA)).

10 SatMagazine — October 2017 InfoBeam Italian Space Company SITAEL Signs On Australian Firm Inovor for Smallsats

This agreement was the result of an South Australian Minister for Defence MOU signed by South Australia and and Space Industries Martin Hamilton- the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) last Smith said South Australia led the way October to pursue joint research and in the development of Australia’s space development, academic exchange economy now that Australia had agreed and industry collaboration in the to establish a national space agency. space sector. News reporting by Jim Plouffle, The Lead South Australia.

The largest privately-owned space company in Italy has signed on to manufacture smallsats in Adelaide.

A letter of intent has been signed between Italian company SITAEL and startup Inovor Technologies to jointly establish a multi-million dollar company in South Australia to design and manufacture smallsats and ground station applications. South Australian company Inovor Technologies designs and integrates small satellites, including its InoSat smallsat, a turnkey surveillance pod to protect satellites from space junk.

The InoSat is a less-expensive alternative to directing space traffic and can also be used to study climate change, natural disasters and general agriculture on Earth.

Inovor chief executive Matthew Tetlow said partnering with SITAEL would his company’s capabilities to manufacture space hardware in Adelaide as well as expand the firm’s product range to larger, more capable spacecraft. South Australia has established itself as a hub for space industry research and hosts a number of space primes such as Boeing, BAE systems and Lockheed Martin.

The state launched its South Australian Space Industry Centre before welcoming the world’s space leaders to the International Astronautical Congress this week.

SatMagazine — October 2017 11 InfoBeam Carried to the Cape: EchoStar-105/SES-11 Satellite

communications satellite, is a dual- mission satellite for U.S.-based operator EchoStar and Luxembourg- based operator SES.

EchoStar-105/SES-11 provides EchoStar with 24 Ku-band transponders of 36 MHz, marketed as EchoStar 105 — SES is provided with a C-band payload of 24 transponders, marketed under the name SES-11.

EchoStar-105/SES-11 replaces Ku-band capacity for AMC-15 and C-band capacity for AMC-18 at the SES well-established 105 degrees Artistic rendition of the EchoStar-105/SES-11 satellite. Image is courtesy of Airbus. West orbital slot.

EchoStar-105 was tailored to meet the Ku-band capacity needs of EchoStar’s enterprise, media and EchoStar Corp., SES and Airbus The first satellite that EchoStar broadcast, and U.S. government Defence and Space have has constructed with manufacturer service provider customers, offering shipped the EchoStar-105/SES- Airbus, EchoStar-105/SES-11 will coverage of the 50 U.S. states and 11 spacecraft from the Airbus be launched by SpaceX on a flight- expanded reach to the Gulf of facilities in Toulouse, France, to proven Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Mexico and the Caribbean. Cape Canaveral, Florida, for the Complex 39A at Kennedy Space forthcoming launch by SpaceX Center, Florida. SES-11, designed to accelerate the this October. development of the SES U.S. prime EchoStar-105/SES-11, a high- video neighborhood and optimized powered hybrid Ku- and C-band for digital television delivery, joins SES-1 and SES-3 at the center of SES’s robust North American orbital arc, which reaches more than a hundred million TV homes.

The satellite also replaces the AMC-18’s C-band capacity, which SES offers over North America, including Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean, empowering businesses and governments to capture new opportunities and expand their reach.

EchoStar 105/SES-11 is the 47th satellite based on the highly reliable Airbus Eurostar E3000 platform and will have a launch mass of 5,200 kg and spacecraft power of 12 kW.

www.echostar.com/

12 SatMagazine — October 2017

InfoBeam ViaSat and Boeing Start Work on Two ViaSat-3 Class Satellites

He added that completing the CDR process for both the payload and bus programs brings this very unique broadband resource another step closer to launch.

Paul Rusnock, chairman and CEO, Boeing Satellite Systems International, noted that completing the bus CDR validates that the satellite meets all necessary requirements ViaSat Inc. has completed the The ViaSat-3 payload is being for production to begin. ViaSat-3 Critical Design Review (CDR) designed and manufactured by is the largest satellite in both size milestones for their ViaSat-3 ViaSat at its Tempe, Arizona, facility and power that Boeing is building class spacecraft. while Boeing is building the all- and one of the largest satellites in electric propulsion 702 satellite the industry. The payload CDR was successfully platform at their factory in El completed last week, and when Segundo, California. Paul additionally stated that this combined with the successful will be a highly-capable and bus CDR that was conducted Boeing will deliver the payload advanced spacecraft — with with Boeing in mid-August, both module structure to ViaSat’s satellite greater than 25kW of power at end companies are now moving forward integration facility in Tempe where of life, and an ability to take full with building, integrating and testing the payload will be installed advantage of the efficiency of its the first two satellites. and tested. all-electric propulsion.

According to the company, the Following completion of payload www.viasat.com/ ViaSat-3 class of Ka-band satellites is testing, ViaSat will send the expected to provide unprecedented completed payload module back to www.boeing.com/ capabilities in terms of service, speed Boeing, where it will be mated to and flexibility. the spacecraft and tested to ensure readiness for launch and the space The first two satellites will focus on environment once on orbit. the Americas and on Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), respectively, Mark Dankberg, chairman and CEO, with a third satellite planned for ViaSat, stated that the ViaSat-3 the Asia Pacific region, completing class satellite platform enables ViaSat’s global service coverage. high-speed, high-quality, affordable internet on a global scale. The Each ViaSat-3 class satellite is company is still on a path to achieve expected to deliver more than the target bandwidth and the 1-Terabit per second of network flexibility to dynamically allocate capacity, and to leverage high capacity to the most attractive and levels of flexibility to dynamically engaged geographic markets. direct capacity to where customers are located.

14 SatMagazine — October 2017

InfoBeam Phasor and OmniAccess Sign ESA Agreement SpacePath Has Tango Wave Tech

Phasor reached an agreement Moreover, the antenna’s modular The Uplink Amplifiers and with OmniAccess to become architecture allows the system to Sub-Systems from Tango Wave that firm’s commercial launch be scaled to virtually any use-case are now Incorporated into partner in the super yacht and requirement, fixed or mobile. SpacePath Communications related maritime broadband services markets. David Helfgott, the CEO of Phasor SpacePath Communications has explained that over the past several acquired the satellite amplifier Phasor and OmniAccess will engage quarters, Phasor has made great portfolio of Californian-based in Beta trials early in 2018, with strides forward and are now at Tango Wave Inc. (‘Tango Wave’). additional partners and, following the stage to prepare full Field/ the success of these field tests, Beta testing. According to the company, Tango Phasor will introduce its initial Wave’s uplink amplifiers and products to the commercial maritime He noted that with OmniAccess, sub-systems are among the most broadband services market. Phasor aims to provide the best advanced on the market today, with technical solution to the super small, lightweight, high efficiency Phasor has been conducting yacht market; one that is very low designs offering superlative extended trials of this equipment profile (2-inches high), bandwidth performance. With immediate over the last two months and efficient, aesthetically attractive, and effect, all Tango Wave development has consistently demonstrated scalable to accommodate a range of and production will be transferred highly reliable, broadband duplex connectivity requirements. to SpacePath Communications satellite links, including unparalleled (‘SpacePath’) in the UK. return-link speeds of greater than Bertrand Hartman, CEO of 24Mbps connectivity from a single OmniAccess added that his Among the new products soon to 71cm equivalent aperture, using company is delighted that all are be available from SpacePath will be an Intelsat EPIC® HTS, all while now one important step closer to high power 1,250W Ku-band and mounted on a moving platform. making this radical new product 1,500W DBS amplifiers and systems available to clients in the very near which are ideal replacements Phasor’s very low profile, future. for legacy klystron amplifier electronically steerable antenna technology. Among other new (ESA) provides high-bandwidth The Phasor Maritime Quantum additions will be Ka-band amplifiers services in a more reliable, robust Aperture™ offers a unique with power levels up to 550W. and failure-tolerant way. combination of low profile and These designs are the smallest and high performance, while offering lightest on the market today which The antenna is solid-state, with no unprecedented scalability and many is essential to minimize losses when moving parts, so satellite signals are other advanced features. It has the mounting in the antenna hub. tracked electronically. potential to become a real game- changer, particularly when used With the trend toward the The ESA can be flat or conformal to provide demanding ultra-high development of amplifiers to in design and can be fitted more bandwidth services such as those support new uplink frequencies, seamlessly to moving vehicles, provided by OmniAccess. the Tango Wave acquisition will including an aircraft fuselage, a also add high power Q- and cruise ship or a high speed train. www.phasorsolutions.com/ V-band products, ready for the next generation of satellites. The same technology is very well www.omniaccess.com/ suited to support traditional fixed Newton Burnet, managing director, satellite networks (FSS), High SpacePath Communications, said Throughput Satellites (HTS), and this acquisition allows SpacePath Non-Geosynchronous (NGSO) to provide customers with the satellite networks. widest array of indoor and outdoor amplifier and subsystem designs, covering all frequencies and powers.

www.space-path.com/

16 SatMagazine — October 2017

InfoBeam Australia’s Big Country, Big Sky, Big Ideas and SSTL’s Small NovaSAR-S Satellite Deal

Artistic rendition of SSTL’s NovaSAR-S satellite. Image is courtesy of SSL.

Surrey Satellite Technology Radar imagery day and night, and partnership with CSIRO on the Limited (SSTL) signed an through cloud cover. NovaSAR-S mission. agreement in Adelaide during the International Astronautical Managing the energy use on She added that they anticipate Congress to provide Australia’s board the small SAR platform has that CSIRO will greatly enhance Commonwealth Scientific and been made possible by using a Australia’s sovereign Earth Industrial Research Organisation new, highly efficient S-band solid- Observation (EO) capability (CSIRO) a 10 percent share of state amplifier technology and with the addition of SAR data, the tasking and data acquisition flying an innovative S-band SAR particularly for this continent which capabilities from NovaSAR-S, a payload developed by Airbus UK has a tropical climate and a large first-in-class small radar satellite in Portsmouth coastline territory. due for launch later this year. Speaking at the IAC in Adelaide, Gomes also confirmed that further NovaSAR-S is a technology Luis Gomes, SSTL’s Commercial data shares on the mission are demonstration mission designed Director said that they are delighted available, commenting that with to complement much larger, to be here in Adelaide for the the launch of the satellite due later complex radar satellites with a IAC, and to see the Australian this year, they have a number of smaller, lighter and more cost government’s “Big Country, Big discussions open with potential effective platform that delivers Earth Sky, Big Ideas” slogan underpinned partners on the mission but they Observation Synthetic Aperture by today’s announcement of their also welcome new partners looking

18 SatMagazine — October 2017

These new opportunities hold potential for building stronger research partnerships between the government, universities and the wider space industry in Australia.

The ability to image through clouds and at night using SAR technology provides additional and enhanced EO applications and opportunities in disaster monitoring, agricultural monitoring and forestry assessment which requires imaging on a regular basis regardless of cloud cover.

NovaSAR-S is also equipped with a wide >400 km swath maritime mode for ship detection across oceans and flies an Automatic Identification System to provide additional data for shipping, Coast Guard and NovaSAR-S in the anechoic chamber for EMC testing (electromagnetic compatibility) and SAR payload testing. The chamber is part of the Triton test facility at Airbus Defence and Space in Portsmouth. The EMC test campaign customs authorities. demonstrates the compatibility of the spacecraft with the launch vehicle and confirms that all the systems and equipment on the spacecraft can operate at the same time without interference. Photo is courtesy of Airbus Defence and Space. The UK Government provided £21 million to assist in the development to take a data and tasking share in share the data with other Australian and launch of NovaSAR-S and will NovaSAR-S. companies and organizations over also benefit from access to the SAR an initial seven year period. data, significantly boosting the The agreement gives CSIRO tasking UK’s sovereign Earth Observation priorities and the ability to access Dr. Dave Williams, Executive Director capabilities for applications such as the raw data directly from the of Digital, National Facilities and ship detection and identification, oil satellite, and a license to use and Collections at CSIRO, said the spill detection, forestry monitoring deal represented a significant and disaster monitoring, particularly investment in Australia’s space flood detection and assessment. capability. He commented that the aim is to manage the NovaSAR www.sstl.co.uk/ satellite as a natural extension of the significant role CSIRO already plays www.csiro.au/ in managing a range of National Facilities, on behalf of the Australian www.sstl.co.uk/Missions/ community of scientists and for the NovaSAR-S/NovaSAR-S/NovaSAR- benefit of the nation. S-Small-satellite-Synthetic- Aperture-Rada He added that because they’ll be able to direct the satellite’s activity, it provides significant opportunities to support a wide range of existing research, further develop Australia’s Earth Observation data analytics expertise, and create new opportunities in the field of remote sensing.

The NovaSAR-S structure in the Assembly, Integration and Test Hall. The spacecraft’s structure is made from aluminium and carbon fiber panels, manufactured at the Composites Facility in Bordon. Photo is courtesy of Airbus Defence and Space.

20 SatMagazine — October 2017

Focus on Africa A Conversation with Sean McCormick of Globalstar

ean McCormick, the Botswana-based Chief With GSM, roaming charges are another Executive Officer for Africa at Globalstar, big issue. As one network hands off shares the satellite solutions that are assisting to another, and sometimes crossing African industry to improve their operations and national boundaries, the costs can soon security as well as helping farmers and animal mount up. Data roaming is expensive, Sconservationists better protect livestock and wildlife. prohibitively so for many African businesses. Globalstar is helping What industry sectors are seeing the most to raise awareness that satellite growth in demand for Globalstar’s solutions technology is really an important in Africa? consideration for ubiquitous reach, is affordable and is also a useful complement to GSM. Sean McCormick One sector experiencing fast growth in Africa is the fleet Globalstar has seen, and continues to forecast, a lot of management sector. This is because cross-border goods growth in the farming sector. African livestock roam free, transport is growing and is an important part of African with no fences. However, livestock theft is a serious day-to- economic development. At the same time, there is an day problem. increasing desire among transport companies for better, more far-reaching security and effective ways to mitigate theft. The risk to herds can be exacerbated by the threat of predators. Farmers and ranchers are now embracing satellite The vast expanses of Africa have many areas with limited, technology as they see the value of using animal collars with or no, cell coverage yet logistics companies increasingly satellite trackers integrated with geo-fencing and mapping require continuous, uninterrupted tracking as goods software as a means of knowing where their stock are located. transit between towns and countries. There is now a clearer understanding of the disadvantages of GSM- There are other sector seeing growth as well — construction, only communications and the benefits of using satellite oil and gas, mining, trucking, financial services — these are communications or a hybrid approach. all set to see more demand for smart SATCOMs.

22 SatMagazine — October 2017 scientific engines for seismic measurement, as well as monitoring vehicles used to transport personnel.

VMD customized these deployments by adding a one-touch SOS button onto the vehicles’ dashboards. If the driver or any passenger is in danger, requires emergency medical help or if the intervention of security forces is needed, a single button press alerts security teams and first responders can instantly know the precise location where help is needed. This level of always-on connectivity is an essential security measure in the remote regions in which oil operations take place.

Globalstar is probably best known for SPOT safety devices for consumers. What is the recreational market potential in Africa? Additionally, satellite solutions in support of e-government operations implemented in Africa in recent years are likely to Sean McCormick continue to gain traction, and SATCOMs are widely used by The tourism and recreation market is very important. Many NGO (non-governmental organization) and relief agencies. adventures, such as safari, include traveling far off the grid. The hospitality industry is quite aware of the need to Oil and gas is a key growth sector in Africa, safeguard tourists and staff, including adventure travelers. where are you seeing satellite technology being used in this sector? Africa hosts some of the world’s most extreme sporting events and races, such as the annual Marathon Des Sables Sean McCormick across the Sahara Desert, which SPOT has supported for the Companies in the oil and gas industry have been particularly last three years. Also, SPOT has been recently appointed progressive in how they have put satellite-enabled tracking the “Official Tracking Partner” of the ABSA Cape Epic to work. Early on, they embraced the Internet of Things (IoT) event series, known as “The Tour De France of Mountain- as an effective way to optimize the remote management biking”. In March 2017, more than 1,300 athletes on of oil and gas pipelines, even reducing or eliminating the mountain bikes took on 691km of South African coastline need to send a crew to an inhospitable location. Globalstar with almost 80 percent of the race route being outside of has announced several African deployments where we cellular coverage. are helping companies better support their oil and gas exploration and production customers. Organizers had used a GSM based solution in the past — now, starting in 2018, they will rely on SPOT satellite Early in 2016, a Tunisian civil works contractor, Kilani communications for the first time. Moreover, through Enterprise for Public Works, deployed Integrated Vehicle Globalstar’s technology, the company is helping race Monitoring System (iMVS), developed by Globalstar’s organizers meet their requirement to demonstrate to Tunisia-based partner VMD, to track their fleet of 4x4 authorities that adequate safety precautions exist to protect vehicles, with the goal of achieving better fleet security. participants, officials, support staff and spectators.

The system also helps monitor driver behavior. iVMS Sean, would you share details of how Globalstar gives Kilani Enterprise the precise location of their fleet while solutions are helping to protect African wildlife? transmitting engine data, which indicates driver performance, such as sudden braking or unexpected acceleration. Sean McCormick Globalstar’s technology is being used in many places in Kilani Enterprise was already familiar with the usefulness of Africa to track and monitor elephants, rhinos and big cats. satellite communications because the company has been For example, Globalstar-connected tracking is used in South using Globalstar’s SPOT handheld devices since 2013 as Africa where rhinoceros poaching is a major issue. Recently, their only means of safeguarding staff who are carrying out some 300 rhinos were relocated to safety at a protected operations in southern Tunisia’s vast desert. national park in Botswana and now are continuously being tracked by conservationists using Globalstar’s satellite A Ukrainian oil services company, in another example, also network. Another instance finds a SPOT Trace painlessly uses this system to help their exploration and production inserted in a rhino’s horn to track the animal while giving customers monitor vehicle fleets and safeguard staff in away no tell-tale visual signs to potential poachers. the same region. The devices monitor vehicles used for transporting heavy engineering equipment, including

SatMagazine — October 2017 23 SPOT is even playing a role in helping to reduce illegal poaching. Security staff on game reserves are using SPOT to help co-ordinate their anti-poaching operations more rapidly than previously possible. If a crew member on patrol suspects an act of poaching, he or she can alert the team who can then track the crews via SPOT as they carry out their investigations.

Rangers often carry a two-way radio for basic communications. However, whenever the team needs to rendezvous in the bush, or if a team member gets lost, searching thick unmarked terrain for the crew member, who might be alone and/or in danger, can take hours or days without knowing their accurate GPS location.

With one touch of SPOT’s SOS button, GPS co-ordinates Globalstar’s SPOT GEN 3 and SPOT Trace products. are transmitted to rescue teams who then instantly know the precise location where their help is needed. If the crew is in Globalstar is also fielding more inquiries from organizations pursuit of a poacher, fellow members in the anti-poaching that are interested in using SPOT as the basis of a lone unit can keep close watch over their movements via SPOT’s worker solution. Essential workers often carry out their duties Google Maps interface. in extremely isolated locations, where they are the only person around for miles and miles. Game rangers, security In another animal tracking deployment, SPOT Trace has been staff, oil and gas crews and other remote workers can stay used to simultaneously track lions and neighboring farm connected with colleagues, family and first responders cattle. In Botswana, there are no fences in wildlife reserves with SPOT. More people are aware that SPOT is a valuable and people live among the animals. In these areas, keeping lifeline, giving protection to users as well as peace of mind farm cattle safe from wild predators is the highest priority. for their colleagues and families. With the help of a German research institution, villagers are using SPOT Trace as an early warning system to alert farmers Now, with Globalstar’s Botswana Teleport live and performing and the local community when lions are getting too close to at full steam, the company is succeeding in spreading the cattle, or the village. word that affordable solutions based on satellite technology can help diverse organizations across the African continent How do you see the market for SATCOMs in operate more efficiently and with greater security. Africa developing in the next few years? https://africa.globalstar.com/en/ Sean McCormick I have been working with Globalstar for a decade, ever Sean McCormick has more than 20 years’ experience in the since the launch of the latest generation satellites, and there telecommunication industry in Africa. Sean’s deep market expertise, operational experience and commercial skills have has been dramatic growth in Africa. SATCOM technology helped him to build several successful telecoms businesses in usage is advancing and is definitely on an upward curve. Africa, all of which continue to grow and expand. The prediction is for continued growth in satellite enabled His achievements include setting up one of Botswana’s largest wireless ISPs, Botswana Broadband Internet. Sean tracking deployments across industry sectors and throughout has overall responsibility for Globalstar Africa operations. A the African continent. key leader in successfully establishing Globalstar’s Botswana gateway, Sean is committed to helping African businesses In anticipation of continued growing demand in Africa for benefit from Globalstar satellite solutions. Globalstar solutions, the company is increasing our reach to better support African customers and are we are well poised to help accelerate market development. New specialist and regional Value Added Resellers (VARs) are being signed up, many of whom are actively developing new products. Globalstar is also working with Value Added Manufacturers (VAMs) on cost-effective, white label offerings.

Africa remains a young market in many ways. There is a lot of education going on currently in African industry. People are increasingly aware they need reliable, uninterrupted satellite-enabled coverage when tracking valuable assets, whether a digger, tractor or a farm animal.

24 SatMagazine — October 2017

Smallsat Futures A Trends Digest Perspective

by Maureen Rhemann, Senior Exeucive and Strategist, Reperi Analysis Center’s (RAC) research arm, Trends Digest

mall satellites today have been a subject matter models and leap-frog directly into of great interest, and some intrigue. Their rapid next-generation communications. growth rate, and ability to tag team with fellow spacecraft to take over workloads previously Meanwhile, on a global basis, “millennials” began to seek done by more expensive and elegant satellites, micro-banking apps and network ubiquity. As of 2016, 4.7 Sare at the root of current attention. billion people have a mobile internet connection1. Multi- billion dollar investments in infrastructure for emerging The question on everyone’s mind is — “what does the future nations, such as fiber and cable installations and rampant of this market hold?” build outs of 3G/4G/ LTE mobile wireless networks in South America, has reduced some dependencies on traditional Mass Commoditization, Commercialization and a satellite providers. Tale of Three Industries To gain better understanding of how the smallsat market Mobile Wireless, Computing, and Small Satellites have might potentially develop, simply look at the “aisle path increasing synergies. As mentioned, the smallsat industry lighting” and other guide posts that are already out there. is showing signs of becoming a commodity industry, much Fundamental bellwethers are no longer hidden from like computing and mobile wireless device industries, with thoughtful observers. similar demand curves. Additionally, commoditization will continue to impact load balancing between networks and Smallsats are rapidly becoming commodities. Today’s small devices, much like was seen in the 1990’s when debates satellite market is behaving much like the mobile wireless emerged over intelligent networks versus the smart devices. and computing markets did when they were on the cusp of commoditization, commercialization, miniaturization, and Some terrestrial services are becoming “substitute” products falling price points characteristic of movement from “elite” for satellite as continued network convergence and ubiquity to “commodity.” unfolds globally. As 2020 approaches, smallsats promise to play multiple roles in load distribution by providing and This shift happened within a few short years as smaller moving data across converged systems as network ubiquity satellites <500 Kg (and specifically those under 150 Kg) and convergence continue to unfold. continue to improve performance and increase life cycle. A recent analysis showed similarity of movement in the A Story of Underlying Demand smallsat market to the mobile wireless and computing Recent analysis indicates future smallsat demand is driven markets by comparing adoption and commoditization by broadband and underlying mobile wireless demand, patterns through 20 years of research in patterning market constituting nearly 80 percent of the future market when and systems behavior. (See New Space Journal, Rhemann, M.K., measuring underlying demand, investment dollars, and 2017. How Understanding Disruptions in the Mobile Wireless Computing anticipated future payloads. The other 20 percent of the Market Can Help Us Anticipate and Create a Healthier Smallsat Market. market will consist of 17 percent imaging and 3 percent AIS New Space, 5(1), pp.27-32.) and other low data rate functions. Near insatiable demands for data communications will inexorably gravitate toward Significant cost reduction has created new uses. Price points lowest cost points for moving global traffic, which could well of fully loaded costs for launch and satellite continue to drop become smallsats. to 1/10th and, in some cases, 1/20th of last decade’s cost structures. Their relative value proposition will continue to “Where is this pent-up demand coming from?” The short rise profoundly as long as they remain cost competitive. answer is “Everywhere!”… cars, TVs, toasters, and the Prada trousers you just tried on at the boutique. In the future, Satellite Use is changing. The late 1990’s U.S. ITAR crack these trends continue as mobile video (for automobiles, down on the satellite industry forced a divergent market, advertising, mobile conferencing) becomes 69 percent of and supply chain differentiation, in the satellite and mobile traffic by 2025, followed by social networking, with telecommunications industries. Both developed separate 16 percent anticipated market share, with the remainder markets, industry associations, and followings based on being apps, web browsing and other traffic. ITAR impact. Follow-on rapid democratization of mobile telecommunications in Asia, South America, Africa, and the The global telecommunications market looks much like Middle East, had a strongly non-traditional effect by creating it did in the 1990’s with bandwidth bottlenecks occurring droves of new mobile users willing to skip dominant market everywhere. Mobile video, data feeds from autonomous

26 SatMagazine — October 2017 vehicles and the emerging IoT are on target to constitute mixes of regulated and unregulated spectrum. Antenna 10,000X data traffic growth, growing by an order of manufacturers such as Kymeta are leading the way for low- magnitude every five years as all move into the 2020’s. latency miniaturization of reception technologies.

Global economic growth in 2016 was roughly 3 percent, with Reliable, Agile, Low-Cost Launch Becomes escalated growth coming from emerging economies. The More Competitive Toward 2022 drive to expand global GDP through reaching the “other 3 Shorter satellite life cycle demand and rapid replenishment will billion people” has redefined future use for satellites as they continue to drive, reliable, agile launch, as cost pressures ensue continue to become more economical, and as the world for subsequent-generation replenishment of constellations. seeks economic growth through connectivity. A 10 percent Due to the overall volume and launch intensity required for increase in broadband penetration can equate to a 1 percent shorter-life smallsats, the market is fundamentally shifting to a increase in GDP. meshed architecture approach to providing communications services. It is anticipated, based on forward trends analysis, However, in order to get growth, a new crop of consumers that underlying unit costs (based on demand) will likely force is needed. As the U.S. and industrialized nations become increased price competitiveness in launch beyond 2022, increasingly saturated markets for broadband and mobile thereby changing the competitive landscape. services, consumer growth for companies such as Samsung, Facebook, Coca Cola, and Google will be achieved by The Future of the Market linking electronically with new and younger populations of Overall, the market bodes well for both smallsats and consumers globally2. In many emerging nations, broadband small launch. Though failure is certainly possible for some communications is considered “infrastructure” and included constellations, lower price points, rapid innovation and as part of government planning functions. replacement, commercialization, and miniaturization, create an energized environment for ongoing technology infusion Architectures are Shape Shifting and cost reduction. Movement toward architecture ubiquity is driven primarily by broadband and other communications where future Taking OneWeb as an example, with a price tag of less architectures deliver 3G/4G/ LTE, and future 5G/6G, than $3.5 billion, it is still a relative bargain. It is instructive by reaching between terrestrial domains to space to be to recall that in the year 2000, SBC Communications was further connected and enabled by LEO, MEO, and GEO involved in a $6 billion dollar effort merely to bring broadband architectures. The SES acquisition of O3B is symbolic of to a handful of U.S. states. Even if large constellations this architectural direction. SES’s acquisition of O3B, and ultimately fail, the next iteration is likely to succeed. As Intelsat’s and OneWeb’s collaborations on LEO/GEO we’ve learned from terrestrial networks, price competition partnership, portend dramatic changes in future meshed and M&A activity, as unit prices go down economies of scale, architectures that will span from terrestrial mobile wireless, must occur. multi-G networks, and LEO and GEO constellations. Market models that own both satellite and launch will likely These new partnerships are resulting in expanded lower cost reap more competitive advantages as future cost pressures network offerings, such as O3B’s 2013 wireless trials with ensue. Further, the business model behind the business Huawei to deliver mobile 3G voice, data, and video. This model could be staggering: Broadband by satellite (if done large scale “architecture shift” is likely to continue, as is a efficiently) could, in the future, allow some VOIP models to move to “design your own” as cost/technological barriers one day replace carrier grade mobile telecom as we know it fall and improvement scales up through new investment and today, depending on many factors such as capital markets, volume. In fact, convergence and small satellite inclusion is a global recessionary tendencies, and geopolitical factors. theme in meshed architecture planning by the 5G planning Whatever happens, it is going to be exciting! organization (5G-PPP). The broad sweep of next-generation Footnotes mobile wireless systems throughout Asia has created a more 1GSMA, 2016 utilitarian view of small satellites, seeing them more as node 2SEC Filings Facebook, Samsung, Coca Cola, and comparison/ benchmark companies, Future market value; valuation models; World extenders for wireless networks. Bank growth trends; IMF emerging market data Maureen Rhemann is the Sr. Executive and Strategist with the It is easier to gain a glimpse of future architectures by Reperi Analysis Center (RAC) and its research arm, Trends appreciating past lessons on how mobile phones/networks Digest™, specializing in disruptive trends, applied R&D, incorporated WiFi, WiMAX, NFC and IP routing to other M&A, and predictive algorithm development for private client in space, mobile wireless, telecommunications, and networks, by interconnection with external “faucets” for computing. Maureen has been an analyst and strategist bandwidth, whether cellular, cable, or satellite. Software for 25 years working with Fortune 500 C-suite executives, compression, miniaturization of antennae, and advanced senior public sector executives, and has served as the author, software applications continue to improve speed and engagement lead or P.I. on more than 120 studies. ou can reach Maureen at [email protected] reduce latency. Meshed ground architectures and small cell networks have become rapidly configurable and can utilize

SatMagazine — October 2017 27 Innovation: Replacing a Dish Antenna With an Antenna Array

by Dmitrii Shubin, Shubin Satellites

he idea of replacing satellite dishes with flat money by handling the installation antenna arrays (FAA) is not a novel idea. by themselves.

However, there are only a few companies who In colder regions, snow sticks to the dish T have been successful in the implementation of cavity surface during the winter. This this technology. interferes with the antenna beam and damages the quality of the First, it is important to understand why FAA is a focus of incoming video stream. research in consumer electronics. The answer is that there are several advantages of FAA over satellite dishes.

FAA has smaller dimensions than a satellite dish. For example, a 0.6 meter dish may have the same gain value as a 0.517x0.277 meter analog, which is up to twice as small. Moreover, FAA has no external LNB converter — the LNB is placed on the back side of the array. Plus, the weight of a 0.6 meter satellite dish is about 7 kg. With the same gain value, flat analog may be up to three times lighter.

The flat surface of FAA prevents any build up of snow, which makes the unit the ideal technology for northern areas.

In addition to size and weight, ease of installation and better adaption to cold weather, FAA has undeniable economic advantages. Due to its much smaller dimensions (517x 277 Small size, low weight and a much more attractive look meters versus 600x600 meters), FAA is twice as inexpensive allow customers to place their antennas on a balcony in terms of storage, transportation and packing logistics. or patio, with the unit being much less noticeable than a dish. Also, the lighter weight allows customers to save

Additionally, the flat ergonomic design and small size decreases the effect of the wind as much as 6.5 times. The lower weight substantially cuts costs for the manufacturing of the parts required for fixing the unit, should such

28 SatMagazine — October 2017 become necessary. For mobile satellite TV purposes, the low weight of the antenna structure compared to the 0.6 meter satellite dish may also cut costs for a motorized orientation system. There are two main and important reasons why FAA has not yet replaced satellite dishes.

The first is the complexity of providing double-polarization for FAA, which means the customer may get access to only half the number of TV channels, and that makes this system less attractive to consumers. Also, the polarization problem has not yet been adapted to accommodate the trend toward multi-TV receivers, when access to different channels needs to be available for simultaneous display on different, independent screens. As of this writing, SelfSat and Satgear are the only two companies who have solved that problem.

The second reason is the price. The price of FAA is still too high for the mass market. For example, SelfSat’s H30D1 or Satgear’s Flat 440 Portable cost about $80.00 in the European Union. In contrast, a 0.6 meter dish can be purchased for For additional information, the email contact is shubin. approximately $38.00. As a result, the market is wide open [email protected] or via LinkedIn at Dmitrii Shubin for companies who are ready to solve these two problems. Dmitrii Shubin studied at the Peter the Great Polytechnical University, Department of the Radio and Telecommunication Systems, and obtained a The Shubin Satellites team has developed an alternative to bachelor degree and then in the Department of Innovative Entrepreneurship, earning a Masters degree. He is an independent researcher in the fields of the Selfsat and Satgear models — the specifications of this radio and telecommunications, RF systems and signal processing. Dmitrii has new configuration are listed to the right above: worked on spectral density enhancement for satellite communication television systems. From 2014, Dmitrii worked on scientific and applied activities in antenna systems for smallsat platforms as well as consumer electronics.

SatMagazine — October 2017 29 The Forrester Report: Bedazzled by Bezels and Pixels IP means the end of ‘conventional’ TV

by Chris Forrester, Senior Contributor

he typical news from the two giant European Of course, adding further to the technology shows in September — Internationale complex decision-making process Funkausstellung (IFA) in Berlin and Amsterdam’s for buyers, are to go flat or curved, IBC — told it all and usually included IP and/ bezel or bezel-less, or so-called or UHD/HDR somewhere in the headline. VR ‘super narrow’ bezels. Consumers Tand 360-degree capture and display were also far from have never been so bedazzled by bezels. However, there ignored. As usual, IBC’s Hall 1 was dominated by the was one dominant message: UHD is here to stay, so while world’s satellite operators. bezels might be important in the sales literature, it is pixels that actually matter, and the minimum 10 bit and 12 bit (and The important German more) for High Dynamic Range. There was also considerable Home Electronics Market show chatter about 8K coming along soon. Index (HEMIX) delivered up excellent news for IFA, saying Of course, there was plenty of debate about broadcasting that Consumer electronics standards to help jolly the conferences along. But, read these sales in Germany saw a 2.4 words from Sotiris Salamouris, CTO of Olympic Broadcasting percent YoY rise in sales Services, and already supervising the build-out of the 30,000 to nearly 12.5 billion euros square meters broadcast center at PyeongChang, South ($14.8 billion). Entertainment Korea, in readiness for this winter’s Winter Olympics. As well electronics and telecommunications were up 9.1 percent and as managing the challenges of getting signals down and 4.6 percent, respectively. TV sets noted a 3.1 percent growth in around the mountains, or along the narrow valleys of the value with sales of almost 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) and were region, he also has to cope with 4K/HDR, and 8K. up 3.4 percent by volume to 3.4 million units. The conversion from DVB-T to DVBT2 HD broadcasting led to the sale of 3.4 By the way, planning in detail for the 2020 million STBs (up 172 percent), costing 349 million euros ($412 Tokyo Olympics is underway. “For us, million, up 255 percent).IFA also commemorated 50 years 8K is an interesting element!” admitted of color TV in Berlin, which made its first transmission on Salamouris. With our long-standing August 25, 1967. partner [Japan’s public broadcaster] NHK we are also creating an 8K platform Meanwhile, both shows were awash with the latest examples of from PyeongChang. We have worked high-end TV products, whether LG’s wonderful OLED devices, with NHK in a very strong partnership or Samsung’s Quantum Dot (QD/QLED) ranges, or the rival on 8K since the London games, which UHD offerings from Sony, Panasonic, Hisense and Vizio. Add in means that with London, Sochi, Rio, Dolby Vision and Atmos and there’s another suite of confusing and now from Korea it will be the claims for the viewer to weigh. Incidentally, Samsung said fourth Games that we have covered in 8K in some form. that in the ‘premium’ price ranges ($1,500 and up), they hold Today’s 8K productions are advancing and becoming more the Number 1 position, globally. Samsung, quoted by Large and more sophisticated, and the whole setup becomes much Display Monitor, said that while these TVs account for only closer to the ‘normal’ HD production. There is still much to be 5 percent of the volume of the market, they account for 20 done. The biggest change for Korea in 8K and that of Rio is percent of the revenue and 40 percent of the profits. the introduction of HDR and the BT 2020 wider color gamut. It really is the ‘Full Monty’ in terms of 8K. The only thing missing According to Samsung’s own statistics, Samsung TVs if you really want to get to the final frontier is higher frame maintained their first place standing in the over-$1,500 global rates. Our colleagues from NHK are working on this, of course. premium TV market in the second quarter of 2017, with more than 40 percent of market share by sales volume in all the major “For PyeongChang, we also have a quite complex 4K global markets, except China, where it was number one but operation but we will, in general, down-convert the 8K images with around 30 percent market share. Samsung’s market share because camera positions are sometimes precious. Our 4K remained above 40 percent in North America and Europe, coverage comprises two key elements: we will produce 4K/ the major battlegrounds of the global TV market. Samsung HDR but with standard dynamic range availability to satisfy TV also recorded approximately 50 percent market share in the needs of the majority of our broadcasters. This is because Central and South America, and a higher percentage than all the number of HDR-equipped TV sets is still modest, but we other competitors combined in the Middle East, CIS, African are also supplying the down-converted from 8K to 4K with and Korean markets. HDR for those who want it.”

30 SatMagazine — October 2017

Salamouris predicts that the constant discussion over HDR, He admitted there was a cost impact on workflow for UHD. as well as 4K and 8K, could soon end. “Our industry has “But I want to make it clear that we see HDR as a growing been moving from standard definition to high-def, and now area, and there are benefits all around, not least from Netflix to 4K and with 8K in front of us. But I would hope that we and Amazon in terms of ancillary sales. Of course, all of our also accept that there’s another revolution and that is in Theatrical titles are created with streaming and Blu-ray disc, IP-based technologies which is happening in parallel, and and now UHD Blu-Ray in mind. For TV, I know that HDR is that includes live capture. We have also to be aware that going to be increasingly important wherever we think there distribution is no longer just to TV sets, but to other devices will be future demand. It might not be needed for today’s including OTT delivery. I’d like to see these elements coming broadcast outlet, but down the line it has to be available.” together and to be seamless for the viewer, and irrelevant. Perhaps by 2022 or 2024 we will no longer be talking of Baggelaar, not unnaturally, didn’t want to suggest that movies 4K or 8K but instead talking of excellent quality because and high-end drama were not important in driving consumers my device will support it, and then perhaps medium quality into the stores to buy HDR-equipped TV displays. “Consumers because I have not yet bought the latest display, and then a do that for sport,” he admitted. “But we add to the drive, the good quality but visible on hand-held devices. We must be demand, for 4K. On the broadcasting side it is a fact that the able to mix and match the images to suit the devices. We are networks love the benefits, and would transmit if they could. still in a transition period but moving towards this situation. They just need to figure out how to do it in a reliable and cost- effective way. Then you’ll see an HDR avalanche happen.” “We know that pretty much every set sold today is 4K. But the traditional broadcasters, and our clients, are struggling Brian Sullivan, until two years ago the CEO to adopt 4K. They have legacy issues and technologies still at Sky Deutschland (and previously 14 years to change, but they are changing and the adoption of IP with BSkyB’s Customer Group), is now technologies is key. But it also a ‘chicken and egg’ situation, heading up Fox Network’s Digital Consumer with complaints that there’s not enough content for the Group. Sullivan joked that he’d like to devices out there, and also the distribution chains are not announce a Hologram service at IBC, but quite ready. The problems are being solved, but it costs said the USA’s adoption of Ultra-HD money, and amortizing these investments, and there are was getting close and much closer threats and competition from the OTT providers who do not than people realize. “All of the major have these legacy issues. In other words, the whole picture studios are shooting in 4K/UHD and is extremely dynamic. But jump forward a few years and we we have been for a couple of years will not be talking about image resolution.” now. Sports, in many cases, is already in 4K. The financial models are becoming clearer. The high costs of a few years Bill Baggelaar (SVP/Technology, Sony ago are now less. But there’s still a big difference, and that Pictures Entertainment) also majored is to compare UHD with HD. Yes, of course, it is better, but on the topic. Baggelaar is passionate the move to HD coincided with a massive shift to flat-screen about UHD and, in particular, the digital TV sets, and the demise of the Cathode Ray Tube. visible difference High Dynamic Range For the consumer sector you do not have that same shift (HDR) can make to a production. “We from flat screen to flat screen, and this means a slower TV look at UHD right across the board, replacement cycle.” on all of our productions. Not all of our broadcast clients want us to Sullivan also brought the debate back to basics. “All this finish a show in UHD/HDR but as technology is wonderful. But it is always about the content. far as episodic TV is concerned the technology is extremely Nobody cares about the challenges and headaches we important,” he said. have had. They just want to access our programming, and we are one of the Big Five content factories in the world. “It is also important to remember that a first transmission, With consumers expecting to dig deeper and faster into our perhaps of a show like The Blacklist [on NBC], might not content, we have to get that technology and architecture be required in 4K/HDR but ancillary sales [to Netflix] might right. But it is all about the content. Nobody ever bought require the improved quality. I don’t want to just focus on a service because of the neat user interface! What we are The Blacklist but you don’t want a situation where you have doing is a real game-changer.” a wonderful hit show where Season 5 is in UHD with HDR Senior Contributor Chris Forrester is a well-known broadcast but not Seasons 1-4! It was the same with Breaking Bad [for journalist and industry consultant. He reports on all aspects of broadcasting with special emphasis on content, the business of AMC], where the series was shot on 35mm film, so we had television and emerging applications. He founded Rapid TV News the opportunity to go back and remaster all of the episodes and has edited Interspace and its successor, Inside Satellite TV since 1996. He also files for Advanced-Television.com. In November of in UHD. The entire series just looks wonderful on a 4K set.” 1998, Chris was appointed an Associate (professor) of the prestigious Adham Center for Television Journalism, part of the American University in Cairo (AUC), in recognition of his extensive coverage of the Arab media market.

32 SatMagazine — October 2017

The Coming of Age of Smallsats A BIS Research Report

magine flocks of small satellites (smallsats), hundreds witness a steep rise in the number of launches of smallsats as in number, orbiting around Earth right now… satellites the world accelerates the application of smallsat technology that are the size of a youngster’s play action figures. solutions to various programs and products.

Almost two decades ago, smallsats were merely ideas Smallsats have been widely used in academia for various Ion a paper. Then these tiny spacecraft began to take shape, spatial research purposes for many years and are now being thanks to California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) demonstrated as viable tools for weather forecasts, Earth and Stanford University, institutes of higher learning that imaging, and so on. Smallsats are proving to be a boon for developed the specifications for what are now known as space exploration as well as for the communication sectors CubeSats, intended for space research and exploration. as theses spacecraft are efficient and cost-effective.

For the past two years or so, the smallsat market has been On June 23 this year, 30 smallsats were successfully launched moving along an accelerated growth path, with a record by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) into Low number of them having have been launched during the Earth Orbit (LEO). This payload included six satellites from first half of 2017. The global smallsat market is expecting the company Breakthrough Starshot called “Sprites.” Each tremendous growth, with the market estimated to reach Sprite is just a 4gm flake of a circuit board that is 3.5cm on $6.35 billion by 2021, according to BIS Research. a side, comprised of solar panels, computers, sensors and communications equipment. The market will grow at a CAGR of 37.91 percent during the time period from 2017 to 2021. The next five years will

Artistic rendition of CubeSats in orbit. Photo is courtesy of NASA.

34 SatMagazine — October 2017 The extensive demand for smallsats has also been noted in the defense and security segments for use in various applications such as intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and navigation — the North American and European regions currently lead this market.

Kestrel Eye, an electro-optical smallest developed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, was launched by SpaceX in August and was developed by relay orbital reconnaissance imagery directly to warfighters on the ground, rather than through ground stations that are based in the U.S. The U.S. Army states that at a price of approximately $2 million each, more smallsats with military capabilities can be readily launched more rapidly, as opposed to the more

The Sprites carry solar panels, computers, sensors and radios. conventional satellites. Photo is courtesy of Breakthrough Starshot.

These satellites are the smallest to have orbited around Earth. The Breakthrough Starshot project, backed by the most famous cosmologist of our time, Stephen Hawking, aims to send a fleet of these small spacecraft to the closest star system, Alpha Centauri, which is located about 4.37 light years away from Earth.

Several established companies, as well as startups in the aerospace industry, are looking forward to developing their own small-sized launch vehicles that will be targeted to launching CubeSats into LEO.

One such example is Fleet Space Technology, based in Australia and founded in 2015. This company is vying to solve the demand of connectivity for the ever-increasing number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices finding their way to market. As the firm states on their infosite, “Our mission is to Connect Everything, using cutting-edge communications Artistic rendition of the U.S. Army’s Kestrel Eye smallsat. and space technologies to maximize the resource efficiency According to the analysts at BIS Research, “Among of human civilization and enable the next induwstrial applications of smallsats, the communication segment is revolution with our free, ubiquitous connectivity platform.” expected to foster a high growth rate of 46.61 percent in the market, owing to an increasing number of small satellite These small spacecraft are evolving rapidly, thanks to the constellation systems for varied applications. Companies formidable advancements in technologies for satellite are building large clusters of smallsats, primarily to facilitate subsystems, such as 3D printed electronic satellite equipment, communication services for mobile connectivity and access onboard internet system, agriculture management and to the internet.” natural resource identification as well as electronic and propulsion systems.

SatMagazine — October 2017 35 The estimate is that by 2050, nine billion people will inhabit The U.S. employs the transformational developments the Earth. As a result, the pressures on the agricultural created by NASA and American entrepreneurs — all industry will increase, along with the crucial need for are highly motivated by their desire to explore space water sufficiency. through the deployment of cost effective small satellite constellations. Increases in investment and research IoT is poised to play a major role in monitoring the processes activities by the government, as well as the companies in involved in these areas, such as production, processing, developing enhanced satellite subsystems, such as solar shipping, security, and more. The functionality of IoT will be electric propulsion system, laser communication system, and facilitated by smallsats, as that market segment requires low more, is expected to foster the high growth of the North bandwidth and will be far more efficient in covering wide American smallsat market over the next five years. areas from their LEO orbits when compared to the use of WiFi on the ground. The space industry is driven by the demand for increased connectivity for smart devices, Internet of Things (IoT), Numerous countries are investing huge amounts of their increased data analytics, and migration to streaming resources as they tackle space-based solutions for research broadband. Governments and the companies in the global and development — now, even less developed countries space industry are investing in new space infrastructure, such as Nigeria and Bangladesh are successfully launching especially in smallsats. their own smallsats. The comparatively low price for the development and launch of smallsats also provides a cost- Companies are also focusing on developing efficient effective platform for training and research. subsystems to decrease the size and complexity of their space ventures, thereby facilitating the use of smallsats. The increasing need for satellite miniaturization and the This environment is driven by a staggering number of enhanced capabilities of electronic technology have boosted startup companies who are venturing into the market and the demand for smallsats across the globe. The demand for succeeding in providing highly useful satellite applications, smallsat constellations continues to grow and the industry such as broadband communications, remote imaging, is facing various challenges in meeting this rising demand navigation, and much more. to develop safe, low-cost and small payload spacecraft to launch for orbits far beyond LEO, as well as designs being In the last 50 years, 38 pico satellites, 680 nano satellites considered for these spacecraft to assist in cleaning up and 860 microsatellites have been launched, worldwide. dangerous space debris. An estimated number of more than 3,600 small satellites, including nano, micro, and pico, are expected to be launched Countries are increasing their interests in smallsats and are over the next ten years. expected to create a pool of lucrative opportunities for new as well as existing actors in this market. According to The advanced concepts of a connected world and interstellar BIS Research, the nanosatellite market reported a revenue missions have become far more viable with the advent of $127.20 million in 2016. Over the coming years, the of smallsats. government will emerge as the highest revenue generating end-user segment by 2021, accounting for 24 percent of the bisresearch.com/industry-report/global-small-launch- overall market share in 2015. vehicle-market-2026.html

The need for instant connectivity and efficient GPS for various purposes has set the smallsat market on a stride toward even greater utilization. The commercial end-user market is estimated to register the highest growth in the smallsat market, owing to the development of new and diverse satellite applications that will address communication, remote sensing, Earth Observation, and navigation for use by commercial industries such as IT & telecommunication, agriculture, mining, and oil & gas, according to BIS Research.

North America has always been at the forefront of technology developments — and that statement also applies to smallsat technology. The U.S. government’s budget for the space industry accounted for 13.8 percent of the global market and that percentage is expected to increase over the coming years.

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“Go For Launch!” Spotlight on EXOS Aerospace Systems and Technologies

by David Mitchell, Co-Founder and President, and, John Quinn, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, EXOS Aerospace

XOS is working through the process of completing a launch license with the FAA for the firm’s new SARGE Rocket — a launch date is planned for on December 9, 2017, from Space Port America in New Mexico. This experience allows EXOS to jump ahead of competitors E with less experience, and to provide safe, lower cost What Does EXOS Bring to the Scene? services to clients. The company has more than 12 years building hundreds of rocket engines as well as designing, building and flying SARGE is a suborbital rocket and represents stage one reusable rockets and landing them within a few meters of of the company’s mid-term plan. Phase two will include the launch site itself. This experience brings reliability in development of orbital rockets by 2020. With sub-orbital engine and rocket performance. rockets, there are many opportunities to help clients who need to find a less expensive way to get agricultural, The EXOS team has built lunar landers for NASA, developed biological, medical, and other zero G experiments into rocket engines which have been used in manned flight space. There are also affordable ways to pre-test payloads and has won more than $1 million in prizes for rocket and and get them ready for a later flight to the ISS. guidance designs through the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge as well as the X-Prize Cup competition, EXOS can assist clients in the following areas: which is funded by NASA. EXOS engineers are also known for their rapid prototyping system which reduces design and Payload integration product evolution by years and saves their clients’ capital. EXOS’ payload integration methods are the most efficient on the market, which allows the The EXOS team designed, built, flew, and landed the company to launch payloads and then promptly first reusable rocket on September 16, 2010 — five years provide data to clients during microgravity time. before Blue Origin accomplished a similar landing.

SARGE rocket being tested.

38 SatMagazine — October 2017 (NASA has asked EXOS engineers for advice on Testing Space Manufacturing Systems how to speed up payload integration.) EXOS can help companies test their manufacturing theories in microgravity and vacuum environments for a fraction of Access to data in real-time the assumed cost. Clients may access their experimental data during the actual launch through EXOS’ live EXOS C.O.O., John Quinn, recently conducted an interview streaming data option, providing live interaction with the Rising Tide publication in Ft. Worth,Texas. with experiments during zero G time. “We can serve payloads that were previously not feasible to Access to payload in minutes experiment with in space because we bring those payloads EXOS’ state-of-the-art retrieval system allows directly back to the launch area about 20 minutes after clients to access their payload in minutes launch. This opens up a whole new level of discovery in because the rocket flies back to the launch point. space for research and manufacturing.

Saving Time and money “We’re completing all the final tests on the SARGE platform Time and money is saved on Research & and this technology demonstration represents the team’s Development expense for International Space commitment to overcoming all the obstacles along the way. Station or any other flight preparations. When We built a vehicle that delivers on our goal to make space EXOS flies micro G pretests or validation more accessible and we will share the thrill of making that experiments, clients save time and money. happen with the whole world in the last quarter of the year Due to EXOS re-usable launch vehicles, waiting as we fly to space from Spaceport America. periods for payloads are much shorter, and the cost is greatly reduced. EXOS is planning for monthly launches starting in 2017 and is now accepting Launch License requests for the 2017 The possibility of being able to do micro G testing a few and 2018 calendar years. Additionally, the company is months from now (rather than years) for biomedical and positioning themselves to provide launch services weekly pharmaceutical research, fluid and fundamental physics, starting in 2018 and beyond. materials science, aerospace engineering, or on space exploration hardware, has not existed before — now this Future Plans can be accomplished through EXOS. View the “SARGE EXOS’ mid-term plans include going orbital by 2020. At that Rocket Payload Users Guide” for technical details at www. time, EXOS plans to be the “truck” hauling commercial, EXOSaero.com and prepare to enter the realm of rapid government and military smallsats into space. The smallsat experiment validation that supports tests and retests in market is estimated to be a $2.52 billion market by 2020. months rather than years. Watch the skies on December 9, 2017, as the first SARGE Companies that need R&D results for “public release” rocket from EXOS burns a trail in to space and the company before the next annual earnings report can now allow EXOS places their claim in commercial space race real estate. to get them there. For more information on EXOS, please contact us through Rapid Prototyping our website, www.exosaero.com or call us at NASA has requested EXOS Engineers to do Rapid 844-AT-WARP3. Prototype training. The Rapid Prototyping Edge (RPE) can help companies launch into a rapid R&D program that can David Mitchell is an entrepreneur, national Radio Show Host (“The Word on Investing”), and Businessman/Pastor. He is the support and hasten their revenue growth. EXOS is known Founder and Owner of E.G.Hall Oil Company in the Permian for its micro G R&D program and can provide a Rapid Basin of Texas; TRADEway, an SEC Registered Investment Prototyping Edge for companies. Advisory Company and Investment Educational Company; and Co-founder and President of EXOS Aerospace. He is Sr. Pastor of Park Meadows Church in Corsicana, Texas. Helping Educational Institutions EXOS Aerospace Systems & Technologies, Inc., can help John Quinn is an Electrical Engineer, Stock Trader and Entrepreneur. He spent 14 and a half years in service to the Universities, High Schools, even Elementary Schools have nation in the U.S. Navy on Trident Submarines. He spent 21 access to, and the ability to navigate through the complex years working in Engineering and Management in the power world of federal, state and industry grant programs in the plant industry. He is now an entrepreneur and stock trader as well as the is Founder and C.E.O. of Martin Systems and areas of biomedical and pharmaceutical research, fluid Technologies, which creates products for the U.S. military, and fundamental physics, material science, aerospace and co-founder and C.O.O. of EXOS Aerospace. engineering, space hardware or any other field.

SatMagazine — October 2017 39 Interorbital Preps for NEPTUNE Test Launch and eleven smallsats will go along for the ride...

by Randa Milliron, Co-Founder and President, Interorbital Systems

n the High Desert of California, the nation’s proving capability to vary the thrust-to-weight ground (and airspace) for advanced space launch ratio, thus simulating the actual vehicles, and the HQ for many of the companies of conditions that will be experienced New Space, Interorbital Systems (IOS) engineers are during an orbital launch. hard at work preparing for a critical milestone in the Idevelopment of the company’s NEPTUNE Rocket series. After the rocket passes through the transonic phase and Max Q, the engine will gradually throttle down, slowing The Interorbital team is nearing completion of its N1 GTV the rocket until it begins to hover. At that point, the rocket (NEPTUNE 1 Guided Test Vehicle) rocket which incorporates engine will shut down and the rocket will be allowed to fall. a high-efficiency CPM 2.0 filament-wound tank assembly, At a safe altitude, a parachute will deploy for vehicle and its new rocket engine gimbaling systems, its new CPM payload recovery. Controller, and a new in-house developed guidance system. The finless single CPM (Common Propulsion Module) launch Following the test of the N1 GTV launch vehicle, the IOS vehicle will be used in an upcoming Q4 2017 low-altitude team will construct an orbital version of the N1, which flight test. consists of a single CPM 2.0 and two liquid upper-stages. It will be capable of placing a 14 pound (6.4 kg) payload into Eleven commercial and educational CubeSat and TubeSat a 192 mi (310 km) polar orbit — perfect for the dedicated payloads are manifested on this flight. The rocket — a CPM launch of the new 3U-CubeSat plus 1U propulsion system 2.0/ N1 — is composed of four identical tanks containing assemblies now trending in the smallsat industry. the rocket’s storable propellants and pressurant gas. This regulated pressure-fed configuration was selected As the N1 launch vehicle is 36 feet (11 meters) in length, and to increase engine performance, while at the same time weighs only 5,400 lbs. (2449 kg), this will be the smallest reducing costs and manufacturing time. orbital launch vehicle in the world. The NEPTUNE 1 is also the world’s lowest-cost orbital launch vehicle, with a base During the test flight, the rocket will simulate an orbital price of $250,000 (academic price) per launch to a circular launch trajectory by using the main rocket engine’s throttling polar orbit at 310 km. The same single Common Propulsion

Interorbital’s NEPTUNE-1 rocket.

40 SatMagazine — October 2017 Module that powers the N1 can be bundled into groups of With respect to Wayfinder II, the Extreme three, five, or eight to meet increased lift requirements for Environments Lab has created a hosted payload payloads weighing up to 500kgs (1,100-lbs). known as SHARK—1. The Principle Investigator for this effort is Karen Dowling, a Ph.D. candidate at Stanford. What’s Launching? The purpose of this experiment is to test AlGaN Interorbital offers the lowest-cost launch opportunities in (Gallium Nitride) sensors and others to measure the world for suborbital, orbital, and interplanetary missions. magnetic fields, temperature, and radiation in orbital IOS will be testing its own guidance and control systems and suborbital levels. Mitigation to susceptibility to with the upcoming launch and will also provide the platform extreme environments is an important area of research for demonstrating and flight-testing these significant science for LEO applications and beyond. applications and breakthrough technologies: 3. Graphene Experiment supplied by the Centre Wayfinder II Mission for Advanced 2D Materials, National University of Wayfinder II is a 3U CubeSat designed and integrated by Singapore — Graphene Experiment provided by Boreal Space, NASA Ames Research Park, Moffett Field, NUS and Wayfinder II California. The overarching mission of Wayfinder II is to raise This is a 3U CubeSat the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of technologies that Structure with are key to space science, exploration, and commerce. Boreal experimental housing Space has created a unique hosted payload architecture — The Centre for that will house and flight-test the following four high-profile Advanced Two- payloads aboard its Wayfinder II: Dimensional Materials (CA2DM) of the 1. Spacelink Secure UHF radio National University The Spacelink Secure radio, developed in of Singapore (NUS) collaboration with Space Inventor of Aalborg, has partnered with US-based Boreal Space to test Denmark, is a fully redundant UHF transceiver the properties of graphene material after it has been operating in the UHF band refined as a hardware launched into the stratosphere. pair with a ground station source for Internet of During this launch, the graphene material Things (IoT) connectivity experiments — AES/ will be subjected to rapid acceleration, vibration, GCM Encryption addresses IoT security concerns. acoustic shock, strong pressure, and a wide range Spacelink is the first in a series of highly capable in temperature fluctuations. The research team will radios that are expanding into S- and X-band retrieve the graphene material and will be testing its frequencies. These radios are low-power, lightweight properties to see if it was able to resist the various solutions for CubeSat applications; the Spacelink challenges imposed by the launch environment. radios are destined to be an enabling technology for Technologies that push the limits in graphene various Use Cases including connected cars, oil and research by demonstrating electro-magnetic gas industry, agriculture, etc. shielding; efficient solar power generation; and excellent thermal protection. 2. SHARK Payload provided by the Stanford Graphene, which is one of the crystalline forms University Extreme Environments Laboratory of carbon, is a relatively recent discovery in 2004. (XLAB) — http://xlab.stanford.edu Since then, a torrent of data has been uncovered Stanford University’s XLAB is focused on the by the academic community and industry on its development of micro- and nano-systems for advantages, including ultra-thinness, mechanical operation within extreme harsh environments. strength, heat conduction and electronic properties. Researchers in Stanford’s XLab are investigating In this collaboration, a team led by Professor the synthesis of temperature tolerant, chemically Barbaros Özyilmaz, head of graphene research at the resistant, and radiation-hardened wide bandgap NUS CA2DM, prepared the graphene material by semiconductor thin films and nanostructures. coating a substrate with a single layer of graphene. These new material sets serve as a platform for This is about 0.5 nanometers thick, which is more the realization of sensor, actuator and electronic than 200,000 times thinner than a strand of hair. components that can operate and collect data under “Graphene is the the most hostile conditions. More specifically, smart lightest thin film in nature and adaptable structures for extreme environments and 1 gram can cover are enabled through the technology developed 2,300 square meters of in the XLAB; research efforts support a variety area. This extreme loss of applications including deep space systems, mass density is perfect for hypersonic aircraft, combustion monitoring, and space applications such subsurface monitoring. as sails for spacecraft.

SatMagazine — October 2017 41 However, efficient space sails require high optical UNAM and University of Zacatecas. At press time, following the reflectivity so they can be accelerated by sun rays recent 7.1 Mexican earthquake, IOS is awaiting word on their or lasers beams. Being one atom thin, graphene launch participation status. is mostly transparent. Nevertheless, state of the art nanotechnology can make graphene highly reflective by deposition of light atomically thin metal films on its surface keeping its mass still low enough. The Center for Advanced 2D Materials is currently developing such graphene sails and other devices based on 2D materials for space IOS NEPTUNE-1 being prepared for launch. exploration,” said Professor Antonio Castro Neto, Director of the NUS CA2DM. Google Lunar X PRIZE Team SYNERGY MOON Payload “Space is the final frontier for graphene Interorbital Systems, launch provider and member of the research. If this research collaboration is able to Google Lunar X PRIZE Team SYNERGY MOON, will fly its demonstrate that graphene maintains its various own team’s electronics and communication package. This is properties and features after the launch into identical to the one slated to be carried by its lunar rover on stratosphere, this will open new opportunities for the surface of the Moon on the suborbital launch of the CPM incorporating graphene into numerous technologies 2.0 GTV. The flight will test the comms unit’s behavior under suitable for outer space and aerospace missions.” the stresses of launch. Concurring, Ms Barbara Plante, President of Boreal Space, said, “We are dedicated to expediting The NEPTUNE rocket test article that will carry all payloads access to space, and we believe that graphene plays listed in this article is also being tested on this launch for an important role in that path, with structures and use as the main structural and propulsion component for batteries for on-orbit space platforms. This launch is SYNERGY MOON’s LUNA Moon Rocket, which it will fly in in support of such future uses in space.” its bid to win the Google Lunar X PRIZE. Interorbital will use Interorbital’s suborbital launch opportunity its NEPTUNE 3 (N3) LUNA, a 3-module, 4-stage NEPTUNE offers materials scientists the ability to collect Rocket variant to carry the GLXP payload to the Lunar surface. real-world Graphene flight research data that is extremely relevant to a program like the highly Interorbital’s Compton Rocket Academy anticipated Breakthrough Starshot. Interorbital has begun a series of rocket-building classes held weekly at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum at the 4. Robotics Payload provided by Google Lunar X Compton/Woodley Airport. Each class is an exercise in PRIZE Team Hakuto, ispace, inc. workforce development with structured engineering and Boreal Space hands-on skills training organized and taught by Roderick will host Milliron who developed the curriculum with IOS partner a robotics and educator Randa Milliron. Students learn by doing as experiment they participate in the build of an Interorbital Neutrino bi- provided propellant liquid rocket kit. by TEAM HAKUTO, https://team- hakuto.jp/en/. Team Hakuto is a contender for the Google Lunar X PRIZE. Their mission is to privately develop a spacecraft to land on the Moon and then be able to move their robotic payload more than 500 meters plus then send high resolution images to Earth (HD, 360 degree images called “Mooncasts.”) They are Google Lunar X PRIZE contenders, one of five teams racing to the finish line.

Mexican Space Collective One of three Mexican smallsats scheduled to fly Interorbital’s President/CTO/Co-Founder Roderick Milliron instructs students from the on IOS’ suborbital launch Compton School District’s FLARE (Future Leaders of Advanced Rocket Engineering); Cal Tech; UCLA; USC; Cal State Long Beach; UC Irvine; Cal Poly Pomona; Tuskegee includes Juan Diaz Infante’s University and UC San Diego in the black arts of liquid rocket propulsion Project ULISES I TubeSat Arts/Music satellite. The other satellites are from www.interorbital.com

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